A World Written In Shadow Gray
by TheRoseRedReaper
Summary: A group of teens attempt to take down an unlikely villain with their barely developed magical powers and Pokemon in an effort to save their world with a dramatic flare. While balancing school, romance, and a search for who to trust, this school year won't be what they were hoping for at all. Magic school AU, T for language and minor violence.
1. Welcome the Heroine

**(A/N): Interestingly enough, this was actually the beginnings of what the original version of HeartHome Magic Academy was meant to be. This rewrite is made up of bits of the original version, pieces taken from HeartHome Magic Academy, and utterly new writing. While this is a rewrite, you should keep in mind that is a different story. Some portions will be taken directly from HHMA, some will follow the story line from HHMA, and most of this will be utterly new story line. The basic characters, teachers, and very basic plotline remains the same. Some things of that plot will change, however. Please keep these things in mind. I hope you enjoy this new story, and that you will avoid spoilers in your reviews. Thank you very much for reading, to both new and old readers.**

 _ **Standard disclaimers apply.**_

* * *

 _In the early sun, not a soul was awake but the mail man traveling down the dirt roads of Twin Leaf town, stirring up dust and stray emerald leaves as he rode on his bicycle. He passed by each of the few houses, delivering his packages and letters to each, before he took his leave of the small town. By the time he was gone, the town had begun to stir, the sky was awake, and the starly were chirping good morning to one another in the nearby forest. One young teen, a girl with long blue hair, was the first to emerge from her household, sleep clinging to her eyes. She retrieved the morning mail, not paying it much mind, until a golden envelope caught her eye. She slowly opened the letter, reading the contents, before shrieking in pure delight, scaring half the neighborhood in the process. This was how Dawn Berlitz began her summer._

Summer: the season of warmth, joy, and to many, freedom. The days are long, sunshine is abundant. Breezes cause emerald leaves to dance while wild flowers in meadows wave to passerby and various Pokémon sang happy morning songs all throughout the day. Dawn absolutely loved summer. It was her favorite season! This particular summer was made all the better by her acceptance letter to the most prestigious school in the entire magical region of Sinnoh: Heart Home Magic Academy. They were known for producing some of the best top trainers, coordinators, and most powerful wizards and witches in all of the world, second only to the university, the School of Magic and Wizardry in Viridian City, Kanto, the region were magic was birthed. Dawn was very proud of herself for being able to enter the school, as it was highly competitive to enter, and those with extraordinary talents were scrutinized by the picky teachers of the academy. The academy itself was intriguing as well; it was one of the few magical institutions that branched out into a high school and university. Most of their students transferred to the School of Magic and Wizardry in Kanto, though, for university instead of staying in Heart Home.

Dawn basked in the glow of her accomplishment the entire summer, telling her overseas friends from Hoenn and Kanto on the messaging platform on which they kept in touch. They all congratulated her and they told her how they were still unsure of which schools they were attending as they entered their new step into magic study. Dawn sighed dreamily to herself while watching the sunset outside her window. She hoped the school year would be everything she hoped. Hearing a ding from her computer, the blue haired girl smiled to herself to see a request on skype for an audio call from another good friend of hers. Neither of their computers supported video calls as they didn't have cameras for that, but they didn't mind, they had a good friendship. They were introduced to one another through a mutual online friend from Kanto.

Giggling to herself, Dawn answered the phone call, plugging in her squirtle themed ear buds. It seemed that all of her at home friends were never there. Then again, the town of Twin Leaf was practically only four houses big. The voice that crackled through her earbuds made her smile.

"What're you giggling about there, Troublesome?"

"Nothing, I was thinking about how we're anti-social hermits who live their whole lives on the internet," she replied before noticing the use of the old nickname and she grinned, "And don't call me troublesome."

He laughed smoothly in response, "I think only you spend all your time on the internet. I've been travelling through many regions before, as you very well know. Though my brother is making me attend school this fall. Something about 'maintaining family heritage' or shit like that."

"No cursing! Also, what school are you attending?"

"Hm, after all these letters I've received, I decided to attend Heart Home Magic Academy. Maybe you've heard of it?"

Dawn gasped so loud that it made her friend on the other end of the line wince in response and scold her for blowing out his ear drums as she squealed.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just that, I'm going to Heart Home as well!"

"You're shitting me. Really?"

"Yeah! Oh my gosh, we could totally meet each other in real life!"

Dawn could practically hear the grin in her friend's voice as he responded, "I look forward to it, Troublesome."

She groaned and yelled at him for the use of that nickname, but he only laughed in response to her.

* * *

The time was now fall, and many were filled with dread to return to school in Twin Leaf town. One of the exceptions was, of course, Dawn, and her child hood friend and step-brother, Barry. Both had been accepted into one of the most prestigious magic schools in all of Sinnoh at the beginning of summer. How could they not be excited? Their parents were very proud of the two siblings, for not only entering a critically acclaimed school, but for also following their dreams. Dawn had always dreamt of being a master sorceress and top coordinator, but Barry sort of jumped on the band wagon, wanting to be with his step-sister. The two teens found themselves waiting on a dock for the school charter plane to arrive while their parents watched from the sidelines with many other parents. Dawn was lost in thought as Barry rambled on.

"This school must be extra fancy if we get to ride on a private plane! Man, I can't wait to get there and learn lots of magic junk! What about you, Dawn? Aren't you excited too? ...Dawn?" Barry waved a hand in front of her face. "I'm going to fine you a million dollars if you don't answer me!" The blond sighed in defeat at being unable to grab her attention. Not too soon after, the charter plane arrived, and the two siblings were on their way to Hearthome City.

Upon their arrival, the children from the plane were ushered into long limousines, and brought from the landing site to the school grounds. The view was simply breath taking. Golden leaved trees surrounded the entrance of the building, the lawns were lush and gently dancing in the soft autumn breeze, and the building itself looked to be a castle made of marble bricks. It was as if the entire building was an enchantment itself. Entering the large double doorway, Dawn was met with lavish royal purple and Prussian blue tapestries bearing the school emblem of a roaring arceus in golden thread from the ceiling, stained glass windows depicting beautiful images of Sinnoh mythology, and a plush black carpet leading down to the main hall. Barry bounced excitedly beside his sister, energetically pointing out every small and exquisite detail of the school around them. Dawn grinned. This would be her new home for the next few years, and she loved it already.

The herd of students that Barry and Dawn were standing in, made of a mix of both the high school and university students, were herded into the grandiose dining hall. A feast was laid out for them: dozen of dishes of diverse meat platters, bowls filled with berries and cream, rich soups, and decadent casseroles among other things at the enormous tables. The new students weren't allowed to sit just yet, however; they were put in a line to the side of the hall, separated into high school and university groups, to be sorted into the different dorms. Dawn and Barry exchanged looks of excitement as they recalled their favorite book series. Many students went before her, and she day dreamed about how the year would go. The head professor had to call her three times before Dawn snapped out of it, flushing with embarrassment. Many students snickered at her, and she could hear someone mutter "You might as well not need sorting, as it seems you're an airhead," but they were cut off by an angry growl from Barry.

Sheepishly, Dawn finally made her way on stage while Professor Oak smiled graciously at her, surprising her; she never would have thought that she would meet one of the celebrity teachers so soon. Bowing her head to him, she took the seat after he lead her center stage, silently giggling at the nerves knotting in her stomach, imagining herself as her favorite book character. Oak placed the tip of the wand at the center of her forehead, and she found herself holding her breath, wondering which of the dorms she would be put into. Then Dawn really did giggle, remembering that this was just a ceremony to welcome them into the school; the students were assigned dorms at the same time they were given their class schedule.

"House of Suicuine!" bellowed the head teacher, and the students at the tables dressed in royal blue at the end of the hall cheered, making her feel extraordinarily welcomed. Taking her seat between some older students, she watched the proceedings with a smile. Her step-brother was placed into House of Raikou, which she was sure would suit him, and was delighted to hear several of her friend's names called and put into different houses. She was a little peeved that her pen pals didn't tell her sooner that they were attending this school, but all the same, it was exciting to see them in person. Misty Waterflower was sorted into House of Raikou; May Maple and her twin, Sapphire, was sorted into House of Entei, Ash Ketchum as well; and her second closest friend Drew Hayden was sorted into the House of Celebi. Dawn smiled to herself. Of course he would get put into the dorm full of nerds.

Looking around the hall, Dawn couldn't pinpoint where her final pen pal was. Then again, she didn't actually know what he looked like…that, and his online name was probably different from his real life name. Yeah, Dawn highly doubted that there would be anyone that went by the name of 'Shinji Pokémon Master' in the real world. Yawning, the ceremony just seemed to drag on. As they began to announce the final few students, a handsome young man caught her eye. He was tall, held himself with pride, and his hair was an interesting shade of lavender. They announced him as Paul Rudobello, and he was part of the dorm group, House of Entei.

Soon after Paul, the last child was finally announced, and the head master stood to introduce herself. She stood no taller than an elementary schooler, with an afro of curly pink hair covering her blue eyes; yet, she commanded a strong air of respect. The Head Teacher stood behind her, helping her up the small step ladder to the podium.

"Welcome one, and welcome all, to Heart Home Magic Academy! I'm your Headmaster, Peony Mayella!" polite applause followed her simple greeting. "Before our feast, a few words I'd like to say: you all entered this school based upon your own talents, strengths, and integrity. We are honored to have you be part of our student body, and hope that you will meet our expectations. This school has a reputation to uphold, and any students caught not following our rules or guidelines will be liable to immediate expulsion." She smiled. "Now, to introduce our professors!"

"Our head teacher, Professor Toms!" Polite applause followed. Dawn did not pay much to the introduction of any of the teachers as something else caught her attention, yet again. A pikachu had stuck its little face out from under the shirt of the older red eyed boy sitting next to her. It proceeded to eat berries off of the table snuck to it by the boy as the head master called out the names of the teachers.

"Your Professor of Elemental Magic, former Gym Leader, Volkner!"

The boy noticed Dawn watching him feed his pikachu and held up a finger to his lips, as if instructing her to keep quiet about. His face was completely unconcerned, though.

"Is that _your_ pikachu?" Dawn whispered to the boy. Mayella continued in the background, announcing Professor Oak as the teacher in charge of Magical Beasts and Pokémon Studies.

"Yes. Don't tell anyone, though. Pokémon aren't allowed in the dining hall."

The students around them looked positively startled that he had spoken, and Dawn wondered if maybe she was talking to a delinquent. He didn't appear to be one, though. Mayella introduced another teacher in the background, some former gym leader that Dawn had never heard of teaching Biology. He began his dinner without waiting for Mayella's permission, his pikachu looking up at Dawn curiously. When they were given proper permission to eat, Dawn watched him cautiously before feeding his pikachu an oran berry. It beamed and nuzzled her hand in absolute delight. The boy abruptly spoke again.

"I'm Red. First year university student."

The students around them seemed to think that the world was ending as they heard Red talk again of his own free will, without his best friend around. Dawn's first impression of her fellow dorm members: they were all weirdos.

* * *

After being herded in long lines through the ridiculously elegant lawns of the school, the students were escorted to their respective dorms that each was their own magnificent castle. Gossip soon flew around about what the heck the school budget was and just how many acres of land their huge school sat upon. Giggling at all the chatting students, Dawn walked up the steps into her dorm, grinning at the cozy interior. The floor was made of slick wood, the walls rough-hewn brick, and all the furnishings and banners bearing a regal Suicuine were laid out in a motif of turquoise, white, and purple. It made her feel positively at home.

Following the flow of students into the hall, Dawn double checked the number on her schedule for the matching room number in the hall.

"301, 302, 303…ah, here's 303. I wonder if my room mates are nice…"

Easing open the door and peeking her head in, Dawn could already hear lots of arguing coming from the inside. It was incredibly spacious inside. "Anybody here…?" she looked around, the sounds of the voices nearby, but no one in sight. She was pleasantly surprised to find her bright pink luggage neatly stacked in the living area of the room, next to some other luggage.

"I wonder if I have to pick my own room or not…" wandering into the hallway, she found four rooms, two on each side of the hallway. Peeking into the one on the right side of the hallway, she found it empty of any other students. The room was simple enough, painted in a warm gray, and contained four dark brown dressers, as well as two cozy beds devoid of any sheets. Looking into the wide closet that accompanied the room, she found white sheets and blue blankets and cushions covered in Suicuine and arceus patterns. Dawn decided that they really liked mascots here at this school. Continuing her exploration, she found the second room on the right side of the hall was an abnormally spacious bathroom, already filled with toiletries for feminine care. She glanced at the left side of the hall and peeked into the second bedroom. The instant she opened the door, loud shouting was released from within the sound proof room.

"Get that pikachu off of my things! He's getting them all dirty!"

"Pika isn't doing anything. He's just happy to see you, Green."

"He's tracking dirt on my sheets!"

"It's only berry juice." The second male groaned, and Dawn recognized the other boy as Red. At least she already knew one of her room mates.

"Berry juice _stains_ , Red!"

"Well, I'm not complaining about your eevee."

"My precious baby isn't doing anything wrong!"

"Neither is Pika."

Dawn cleared her throat, a bit amused. She startled the one Red called Green, while Red just glanced up passively, holding his pikachu. Awkward silence ensued. It was, surprisingly, broken by Red.

"Hi Dawn. This is Green, Professor Oak's grandson." The two awkwardly waved to each other, then Dawn questioned in confusion, "I thought Gary Oak was Professor Oak's grandson?"

"He's Green's cousin."

"Oh."

"Nice to meet ya! So, it seems we're all roommates, huh? I'll make sure that Red won't mess with you too much. Smell ya later losers! There are cousins to torment and ladies to speak with." Green bowed with a flourish, kissed Dawn's hand, and was out the door with a roll of Red's eyes.

"Uh…"

"I don't know why I'm friends with him either. Help me unpack?"

"Sure!"

Finally all settled in to her dorm, and after meeting the girl she would be sharing her dorm room with, Dawn plopped onto her bed (which she dressed in pink blankets and Pokémon dolls, of course) and brought out her laptop and logged onto the messaging application through which she talked to all of her pen pals. She wiggled in excitement as she opened a group chat and saw that all her friends were online.

 _Platinum: Hey guys! Oh, you guys are so evil, not telling me that this school is the one you were attending!_

 _Staryu? No, Starmie: It was supposed to be a surprise, D! But isn't it crazy that we all got in? It's supposed to be crazy hard to get into this school._

 _Munchlaxaroo: Yeah! It's awesome that we're all here. But are the buffets limitless? I want to be sure that there's enough food for me and pikachu. That, and battle opportunities! I heard they don't let you battle until your second year…_

 _Staryu? No, Starmie: Only you would be concerned about food and battles._

 _ThatFabuJirachi: Uh, I love you guys, but it's late. I want to be awake for my first day of school, thanks._

 _Roserade King: You have no joy for the party, June._

 _ThatFabuJirachi: The name is May!_

Dawn giggled at all her friends.

 _Platinum: I wanted to talk with all of you, but May is right, it's late. We can just talk tomorrow in person, anyways, right? Look forward to meeting you guys!_

 _Munchlaxaroo: You guys are right. See you guys soon!_

 _Staryu? No, Starmie: Oh, fine. Goodnight guys._

 _Roserade King: See you all soon._

 _ThatFabuJirachi: What's with the rose emoticon, Drew? Goodnight, all._

About to sign off, Dawn smiled pleasantly at how her favorite friend called at the same time he always did. Audio only, as always.

"Hello, Shinji."

"Evening, Dawn. Did you see me up on stage?"

"Of course not, dork," she rolled her eyes, "I don't know what you look like."

He laughed on the other end of the line, "Right. I was looking for you, but, it didn't go well. Duh. What dorm are you in? The whole sorting ceremony thing was ridiculous."

"I thought the sorting ceremony was nice. I'm in the Suicuine dorm, if you must know."

"Oh, that sucks. We're in different dorms. I got put in the Entei dorm. I'm sure we'll find each other soon, anyways."

"That's so easy when we know what the other looks like," she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Glad to hear you so optimistic, troublesome."

"It's Dawn!" but he just laughed, like always. Dawn's roommate shot her a pleading look and Dawn smiled sheepishly in response, feeling incredibly guilty. "Anyways, Shinji, it's late. Good night. I'll try talking to you later."

"Goodnight, troublesome."

The call ended and she smiled sleepily, getting ready for bed alongside her roommate. They bade each other goodnight and went to sleep to the muffled arguing of Red and Green across the hall.

* * *

Meeting in the shadowy confines of a forest hollow, three hooded figures came together into a circle under the light of the moon. They checked to make sure they were not followed before convening over a raised slab of stone in the center of the hollow, their voices raspy and each coming out as though several slithering whispers were overlapping one another in waves. The temperature plummeted simply from their presence and the wildlife scattered, the dark around them rising up and dancing as though it were a living cloak thriving in the evil deeds of which they spoke.

"All is ready?"

"Yes, it would seem so. All the specially selected students are gathered and the school year has just begun. No one has suspected our presence just yet, either."

"Perfect. With the sunrise, the tendrils will spread and grab their prey. Your hosts should suit you most perfectly, I should think."

"In a fortnight we meet again in the full moon."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

The one piece of their conversation that withered its way into the ears of the dreaming school children was this:

"The game is afoot, and all the pieces are in place. Let us begin."

* * *

 **What a creepy ending to the first chapter. Man, this was long. I really truly hope you enjoyed this! I was so excited writing this, and I hope you loved it as much as I did! Please leave a review telling me what you think. It's very important for feedback. Until next time, lovely readers!**


	2. Here Come the Hosts

**(A/N): A wild update appeared! ...I'll let myself out the door now, sorry. Any ways, here's the next installment of this rewrite. I should pay more attention to my writing...Speaking of which I'm happy to say that my most popular story, Sudden Ink, has had over 2000 views. Squee! I really hope this story will become just as popular. Thank you to maycontestdrew and LaughingMangoes for reviewing the first chapter, it really means a lot to me! And well, I don't really know if the berry juice was sitrus, to tell you the truth, because it is an HP recovery item in the games simply imputed as 'berry juice'. And don't worry, LaughingMangoes, May's twin is just a background character. Leaf was already planned to appear as you will soon see. Enough rambling, I'm sure you want to read!**

 **(ps i edited to fix the grammar problems)**

 _ **STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY.**_

* * *

Rising with the ringing of her alarm clock, Dawn found herself grinning as she prepared for her first day of classes. Her roommate was slow and Dawn lucked out by snatching the bathroom first. She showered and brushed her teeth, scrubbed her face, and donned her school uniform. It was quite spiffy, if she said so herself. A plaid skirt, a button up vest, and a simple solid colored shirt beneath. Humming to the tune of her favorite song, the blue haired girl giggled at the sounds of her roommates trying to wake up around her.

"Dawn, hurry up! I need to shower too, y'know!"

"Be right out, Leaf! This is why I set an alarm, y'know."

"Oh can it and hurry up! Green's complaining is unbearable."

Skipping out of the bathroom, Dawn made her way to back to her room, tugging on her socks and loafers. Outfit complete! All that was left was her crazy bed hair…Brushing out her long strands quickly, Dawn pulled up her hair into its usual style, balancing on one foot as Pika and Green's eevee scurried in out of her room, followed by shouts from Green. Looking at herself in the mirror, Dawn nodded in satisfaction. She looked to be in perfect form as usual. Checking her poketch, Dawn began walking down to the main hall to get breakfast; none of her roommates were even remotely close to being ready for the school day yet. She had plenty of time to go and meet her pen pals.

* * *

"Dawn!"

"Hey! You're Misty, right? It's so nice to finally meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you as well! I made quick friends with your brother, Barry. He's…rather energetic."

"Yeah, I know," Dawn giggled, "Say, do you know if we'll be able to see each other outside of classes?"

"From what Ash told me, we have all meals with our dorms, but after classes we're allowed to roam the school grounds until sundown."

"Nice! Maybe we could get everyone together to properly meet after classes, then? In case we don't have classes together."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, I better go. Students in the Raikou dorms tend to be territorial around food, as I learned yesterday…," waving, Misty departed, leaving Dawn in an even better mood. She glimpsed Ash and waved, laughing at how enthusiastically he waved back, and headed to her table as students began trickling in for breakfast. Taking her seat between Red and Green, Dawn supposed that not all her friends were morning people like her and Misty. Green already seemed to be nagging Red.

"Red, no Pokémon in the hall!"

"Hush, he's not bothering anyone. Oh, good morning, Dawn."

"Good morning, Red."

"Dawn! You left without us! You should have waited!"

"Stop being so whiny just because Pika tracked berry juice on your favorite clothes last night, Green," chastised Leaf," and I don't blame Dawn for coming here without us. You Oaks are unbearable."

"You take that back!"

Laughing, Dawn slathered pecha jam onto her buttered toast, looking up at the stage at the head of the room as Head Master Mayella climbed the podium. The petite lady cleared her throat, effectively silencing the whole hall as she gathered her papers in order.

"Good morning, all. I'm sure that you're excited for your first day of classes, meeting old friends and making new friends, and all that good stuff, but there are still some rules to establish. I did not think I needed to read them all out loud to you, as you were each handed a student handbook the instant you decided to enter this academy, but it seems _some_ of you could use a refresher on a few simple guidelines. Namely the previous evening, when curfew was broken."

Murmurs broke out as she scanned the crowd of students, many exchanging confused looks with one another. All of them worked hard to enter the school, and a broken rule was grounds for immediate expulsion. Who would be stupid enough to do such a thing?

Clearing her throat, the petite headmaster began speaking.

"Last night we found two students roaming on the edge of campus past curfew in the dead of night. They caused no trouble, but I would like to remind you all of a few basic things that are listed in the school rule book that none of you bothered to read. Firstly, curfew is to never be broken without due permission or emergency. Secondly, the eastern forest on school grounds is forbidden. Third, you are to never enter the castle dungeons. This will be made crystal clear to everyone by **immediate** expulsion upon infraction of any of these rules. Enjoy your first day of classes."

The entire dining was awash in an icy atmosphere and the jittery excitement was worn away by such a speech so early in the morning. Hardly anyone talked until the doors opened for students to make their way to class.

* * *

Dawn released a slow, shaky sigh as she took her seat in her first class. It was an old, decrepit classroom of which every corner was choked with dust. She could hard see anything outside of the grime caked on the ancient windows. Students begin to fill in around her, finding their names on their desks, speaking in hushed voices over who could have broken the rules last night. Dawn hoped that the teacher would be someone that was cheery enough to ward off the chill of the morning speech.

"Sorry I'm late, class! Those stairs can do a number on a poor old man, woo!"

The students giggled and whispered over the little old man who made his way over to the teacher's desk, balancing text books that were as ancient and shabby as the classroom that they were in. When he set down the books and everyone could see his face, everyone gasped in delight.

"Hello, all! I'm Professor Samuel Oak, and I'm going to be your Magical Beasts and Pokémon Studies teacher! It's a bit inconvenient that we've been shoved into this little old classroom, but I just supposed that we'll have to make do," Professor Oak said with a smile, writing his name out for everyone to see on the chalkboard.

"I hope you don't mind if I start with a little pre-lecture today. In this class we'll be studying not just Pokémon, but their variants, interbred species, and human forms," some students blinked in surprise, "Yes, that's right! Certain Pokémon, if wise or strong enough, can take on a human form borrowing the magic of the natural world. Can anyone tell me the difference between a Pokémon and a magical beast?"

Students murmured and avoided eye contact. Then a kid whose hair color Dawn doubted was natural raised his hand. Who had hair that green? Then again, Dawn's hair itself was blue.

"Yes, you there!"

"A Pokémon is a creature speculated by scientists as having being creatures that slowly mutated into what they are today from regular creatures known as 'mice, cats, dogs' and other animals and objects from human wars that happened in the distant past. Magical beasts are creatures that have existed since the dawn of time and are made purely of natural magic and have no logic; they have been recorded as having gone missing for millennia, only to make their reappearance with the rise of magic and Pokémon in the common era."

Professor Oak beamed while the boy smirked and flipped his hair, " _Excellent_ explanation, young man! Couldn't have said it any better myself! What is your name?"

"The name's Drew Haydn, Sir," he answered while he winked at a brunette on the other side of the classroom. Dawn giggled quietly when the girl's expression wrinkled into disgust and dismay when she heard his name. She had high suspicion that that was May.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Now, seeing as few of us are naturally gifted with the ability of sight, we'll be making a potion next class to give you all temporary vision of a small spectrum of magical creatures to begin your first proper step into the magical world. What do you all think?"

The class cheered in response and Oak finished the class by explaining the rules of class and other technicalities. Dawn found that she quite liked her first teacher and had already found two more of her online friends. Perhaps it would be a good day after all.

* * *

When classes ended for the day, Dawn sat on the school lawn that faced the different dorm houses (castles were really a better description), booting up the messaging app on her poketch to see if she could formally talk and meet with all of her online friends.

 _Platinum: Hey guys! How was your first day? I was wondering if we could all hang out, I'm sitting on the school lawn in front of the dorms._

 _Staryu? No, Starmie: First day was great! Ash was a handful as always, but I think I see you on the lawn._

 _Munchlaxaroo: That's mean, Mist! And is that you on the lawn? Hi, Dawn! Be there soon!_

"Hey Dawn!" Ash and Misty greeted, walking over and sitting with her on the lawn, both of them grinning ear to ear.

"Hey guys! It's nice to see you guys in real life! Have you seen May or Drew yet? I know Drew is in my first class but I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet."

"I haven't seen either of them," Ash said, looking over the messages, "but I know Misty talked to May a bit."

Misty laughed, "Yeah, May was rather upset to find out that the cute boy she saw in her first class turned out to be Drew. She said that her dreams were ruined and that everything she believed was true is a lie."

Dawn burst out into laughter with Ash, and their laughter doubled when they saw the message that May had sent them.

 _ThatFabuJirachi: I can hear you guys! So rude!_

Only Misty could greet May as she joined them because Dawn and Ash could not stop their giggling. The overall thing wasn't even that funny, but their laughter kept each other laughing. When Dawn was finally able to catch her breath, she released a final giggle and smiled, looking up at May.

"Hey, May. It's nice to finally meet you," Dawn said, shaking hands with May.

"Nice to finally meet you too," the brunette responded, pouting.

"Anyone know where Drew is?" asked Misty, but the others shook their head. Just then their messaging apps simultaneously _dinged_. "Speak of the devil."

 _Roserade King: Sorry I can't grace you all with my presence, my genius has called me to the attention of the headmaster. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?_

May scoffed, "He's so pompous. Why are we friends with him?"

Giggling, Dawn responded to Drew.

 _Platinum: That's fine, Drew. May is just_ dying _to meet you._

"Hey, I never said anything remotely like that!"

 _Roserade King: I'd be delighted to make her acquaintance._

"Ugh, he sent another one of those stupid rose emojis!"

Dawn and Misty laughed at May, and all the friends caught up with one another.

* * *

Drew sat in the murky interior of Headmaster Mayella's office, examining all the imposing oil paintings of headmasters past, wondering what he could have done to have been called to her office on the first day of school. He didn't remember breaking any rules, and was sure there were no other students he could possibly be mistaken for. How many people have green hair naturally, anyways? No matter why he was called, he would sit it out with as much dignity and poise as possible.

The petite headmaster finally walked in, the tall and intimidating head teacher following suit. Drew watched her shuffle up the smell step stool to her desk, pour three cups of rose scented tea, and then take her seat across from Drew. She examined him with her unnervingly blue eyes, then slowly smiled.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Haydn. It's a rare occurrence in these modern times to receive a student from a pureblood wizarding family."

"…a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Headmaster. May I ask why I have been called to your office?"

Her smile widened.

"I'm curious about you. You have a certain intellect, wit, and ability about you that landed you in Celebi House. There are very few students who are actually able to enter that house, I'm sure you know."

Drew pursed his lips, disliking this.

"Headmaster, will you cut to the point, please?"

The Head teacher glared and Mayella giggled.

"I'm interested in completing some…business transactions with you, Drew."

* * *

That evening, Dawn found herself with a pleasurable amount of free time to do with what she pleased. So she did her homework in advance, then turned on her computer, and waited. And waited. And waited. Then, by the time the sun had set, her computer finally begin to ring and Dawn eagerly accepted her mysterious friend's call.

"Hi Shinji!"

He laughed that deep, raspy laugh of his, "Hello there, troublesome. You seem quite happy there."

"Well, it's just, I was so impatient to talk you! I've been wanting to talk to all day," Dawn complained, nervously fiddling with the loose strands of her hair.

"Glad to see that you love me so," he said, all tease, and Dawn could practically hear the smirk in his voice while her cheeks heated.

"Oh, hush. Anyways, how was your first day of school?"

"It was alright, I guess. The first teacher of the day seemed a bit uptight. Second teacher was ridiculously eccentric and tried so hard to impress, it looked sad. The third teacher I didn't like much at all."

"Maybe you should be less judgmental?"

"Hm, I'll keep that in mind. How was your first day, Dawn?"

Dawn blinked at the use of her actual name, smiling, "It was wonderful, thanks for asking. The first teacher, Professor Oak, was really sweet. The second teacher seemed a little weird, and the third teacher tried to teach us how to ride broom sticks but it failed miserably."

"Sounds like quite a day."

"It was! I made quick friends with my room mates, and I got to see almost all my online friends too. I think it's going to be an awesome school year, Shinji."

"Not too awesome until I get to meet you," her friend murmured in a different tone of voice than usual.

Dawn giggled, agreeing, "Yeah! It's getting late, though. Talk you later!"

"Hm, yeah. Good night, troublesome."

After that, Dawn laid in bed and stared at the ceiling with a bright smile. Then she gasped, her cheeks flushing pinker than an overripe pecha berry – had Shinji been trying to _flirt_ with her?

* * *

The mysterious figures gathered once more in the dead of night, cross with another. Their unplanned meeting and overlapping, hissing tongues scattered all creatures in sight.

"We were not set to meet until the full moon, master. What is the meaning of this?"

"I, too, would like to know!"

"Silence and hold your tongues! An unseen player has made their way onto the board, and we know not its intentions," the foul being hissed, "To be trusted or not is yet to be seen and another tries to contract with us. The first tendril has grabbed the first host, but this new player interferes with the second, and the mortal seeking a contract delays the settling of the other hosts because of fear from the gods. We must be wary of this mortal and new player. Neither are welcomed on the board."

The other two simmered in the shadows and wilted the grass around the stone slab upon which they stood. Finally, the smallest spoke.

"I shall deal with the mortal, master."

"And I shall monitor the second host," said the second being.

"All is set then. Let us hope by the light of Cresselia that no more interferences occur. Until the full light calls us again."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

They departed from their forest hollow, leaving a chill in the night, and in the distance, in the safe confines of her dorm room, Dawn felt the shadows turn in on her dreams.

* * *

 **Dun dun dunnnnn! More mystery! I really hoped you enjoyed that and I'm sorry if it was a slow chapter! I can't guarantee when I'll upload the next chapter either, so apologies for that too. Please review telling me what you thought, your reviews always make my day! Until next time, lovely readers.**


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